Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-05-21

have 50 many brilliant ideas as She bas. There
iot a. once lelt the Office, although it was only
ha!t,paSf 3; and hailing the first respectable
t iooking hanson that could see drove rapidly
| home.
", dashed upst airs into the drawing room, where
ION, Charley She cried show you startled
me: was altering dress, and thought you
! were caller And she pulled out her parapher-
! hGddled it,
| Margaret" ] cried IL have an iiea-'
"What?" she SAID. and looked as astonshed as
II md said l had got a megalosaurus in my
81 have an idea about the spare ROOM y I gaspei;
/ Tor was very much out OF breath with my rapid
ascent zen, OF the stairs I'VE wlll-nake it-into-
| a bllhdrd-room-" And ! sank into an armchair
Get on Your hat and We will so out and order
| a. billiard table at once"
"a BILLIARD room. OF course. the very thing"
! CIRCULATED my wife. "Why didn't We either OF US,
| think OF such q simple thing beiCre?' was not
quIteso sure about the simplicity OF it-as regarded
| the cost, at any rate.
| When Margaret had got her hat and had recov-
cred my breath, we sailed forth my wife perpetu-
| ally wondering all the way into oxford street why
/ We had not thought OF such 4 simple thing before.
Besides, she said, only think OI the cheapnesS
| OF furnishing bllliard-roem. Why, you abso-
seats
~ carpet, though, would rather improve the
: appearance OF the room, would it note ventured
well, yes: but carpet is not furniture
was silent, but did not feel 50 thoroughly con-
WINGED OF the cheapne5S o; the arrangement. The
cost Was certainly the least brilliant part OF my
/ idea, could not help thinking
Before We went home to tea that afternoon we
/ had ordered square of Turkey carpet. n capital
! secondhand fuil-SiZed bill lrti-taJie and Il few
icather-coVered seats tOput around the room. The
/ carpet was 10 De made fixture the next day;
there WAS no difficulty about that part OF the bust
ness; but the table and seats could not be sent till
saturday morning.
IL was running things very close, Suppose Aunt
Georgna and the bllliad table were to make their
entry into the house at the same time? We W. re
| hot stones throw from the Great Western Hotel,
I and she was sure to COME round directly she ar
/ rived-she was one OF those people who must air
/ But no, ON second thought, sucn a horrible
| rcncOnter would De- unlikely. Saturday is only
halliday, and the men would be sure to want TO
get their work over early. IL was also extremely
lnproDable that Aunt GcOrSina would arrive be-
/ fore tine afternoon STILL in spite OF all this
both 1elt little nervous and We talked good deal
about II during dinner, and afterwards when we
| retired TO my little snuggery OF L SInoking-roOm
! opposite the dining-rO0u.
About nine o'clock heard the DoStmanS
Knock, and Margaret flew 10 get the letters. She
brought back post card from Aunt Georgina and
We nearly tore IL In two with both irving to read
/ il at the same tiine-though there was not much
10 read. Il shall arrive tomorrow morning al the
q. W. Hotel, and shall lOok in upon you some time
In the afternoon. was ali the Information IL gave
! Us.
! drew long breath of relief
BY JOye. What blessing" / said "By the
time she arrives here, our spare room will be
ful-flcti@ed busincs.-llke looking biIliard-room
and She viii suspect nothing"
1 am sure We both slept better that night than
We had all that Week.
Directly breakfast was over the next morning
We began TO expect our men. i had taken a whole
+ hpllday-0r should say half one, as | always
come me early on Saturtidys-in the honor OF the
plllltru-taole and Aunt GeOrgina. When ten
O'Clock struck, Margaret affirmed rs her opinion
That the men were not coming at all. tried to
dlSabuse her OF this idea. But when eleven and
twelve hal struck and still there were no signs OF
them, began To be alarmed myself, and Margaret
walked up and down between the back and front
dr.i"ins-rooms like j bear in cage OF a tragedy
actress rclearsin5 her scene.
llQ Just TO study for a npWSDaDpr
when. hall way down the stairs, heard a Shrek
from Margaret. / hurried back at once She was
standing by the window. ''Come! Gomez" was all
that she could say.
nv, What IS it?+ cried, rushing to the window.
Alas. 1t wAs no such vision OF bliss. A four
wheeled cab had just drawn up at our door, from
The window VI which was seen .protruding the
crumpled black face Of pug and a huge nosegay
OF flowers.
perhaps it is some one come to the wrong
house" said family Catching at a straw. Buf
the next moment this straw was swept away
from me, as stout, fair lady in towering floral
bonnet stepped gingerly out OF the vehicle, pug
optica! delusion. IL was Aunt Georgina.
In another minute she would be IN the drawing
room. WHAT were We TO do? Margaret, however,
cid not lose her presence OF mind even in this uD-
looked-for and awful crisis. In all the i've years
OF our married life have never known it desert
her.
''NOw, Charley she said emphatically, s.what
we nave TO do Is to occupy her and keep her in
this rooLl TIL the biiliard-tabie arrives She
looked pale. but diuntleSs, and felt my courage
rising by force OF example.
''Supposing the table doesn't come at alle" I
could not hep suggesting disnally.
ITS sure 10 COME" she sdid catching her
breath; and Try not to look Us ii anything was
Well, and here am, you see." cried high
pitched voice. And Aunt Georsina sailed into
The room, pug-do5, flowers and all, difrusing an
overpowerinG odor OF patchouli around her II
Thought You wouldn't mind my dropping in to
lunch What lucky thing this isn't the Palace
OF Truth, l thought 10 myseli) Il really couldn't
my 1talr
she raptur0uoy kissed my WHEY '.Besides" she
added candidly, they had nothing 1 could eat at
gage and came on 10 you straight. I've brought
yoI some n0wsrs out of my garden OF course
there's nothing like the real article"
one might have supposed from Aunt Geor-
g1na.5 speech that London florists were in the
habit OF supplying their customers with artificial
blooms. We bOtn murmureu our thanks and
our delight at her premature appearance while
stopped down and patJed the pug's broad back.
by way OF consolidating its mistress.
.'Ah, Isn't she u dear creature?" cried Aunt
Georgina, seiZing her in her arm TO kiss her
you're beauty, aren't you, my lovey -doyey?"
/ The lOvey-dovcy snorted and wheezed so apo-
plecticaliy, III answer to this eldearinp sn,erzp
that 1t seemed as II il would never be able To get
It's breath again. So Aunt GeOrgina deposited her
on Il Vevet-coNered armchair, while she went
round the drawing-room, with Margaret's arm
locked In hers, her gold double eye-g!.ss I'D px.
claiming III and atmring by turns everything she
saw, while followed In their wake, trying hot to
/ loOh rs nervous as felt
"
Aunt t'eorgina's conversation, or rather mono
/ lo5ue again heard the sound OF wheels stOnpinp
at our door; very heavy wheels this Time By III
luck she Was Just nearing the 'front.' windows after
! having made the tour OF the room. AT once her
/ gold eye glass was up In It's place.
why. de .l.re - she exclaimed ''That hrve
thing looks as II 1t were stopping at your door
/ 1ou don't mean To say you've been buying grand
piano. you cNtravagaut children?'
{ II WAS The Dllllaru-lable.
looked at my wife, feeling as II my heart and,
inde,,i The whole OF NY inside were slowly but
surely sinking down into iny shoes. wished the
/ earth would open and swallow me up But the
/ etr'n- which IL seldom as complaisant as one
would desire under such circumstances refused
I TO bulge.
! Margaret was clasping her hands behind Aunt
+ t'tprslHds Drown SILK back. In another moment
lclt al would be lost: when all of sudden in the
I path ura"inS-roDrn. arose an uneart hly bowling
[ anu = rcechln9- Margaret'S Persian cat had lust
struiit1 laZy into the ro1n In search OF Darticli
{ lar arm chair which she loved, when She was
/ lottc, Who though somewhat averse To attacking
her own species, was not particularly afraid OF q
cat But Mrs FUN, not approaching the fun OF
{ TN" th!,i-. boxed her ears SOundly two or three
/ llil,s- ana a regular Scrimlnagr enSleu.
I Aunt G"Orsina flew 10 SOOthe her bowling IA
'orlt', while the cat, which had jumped on TO q
" lohbOflng cabinet, To the imminent peril OF
{ MtrSdreto collection OF SiIncrack pottery glowed
\ with angry green eyes at her cowardy asSailant
htr tail the size and consistency of a sweeps
/ chimney brush.
IL was none TOO soon! As / looked out of the
window, the men were Just hoisting the table out
of The cart.
| You keep her here" Margaret whispered hur-
/ rlcuiy 10 me- Il must 90 anu look AFTER hem and